…As Oyetola Flags Off Marine Safety Sensitization Initiative in Bayelsa
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has again appealed to the Federal Government to make good its promise of supporting the state in developing the Agge Deep Seaport.
Governor Diri made the appeal at the flag-off of the Marine Safety Sensitization and Distribution of Life Jackets for Inland Water Travels at the DSP Alamieyeseigha Banquet Hall, Yenagoa.
Represented at the ceremony by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the governor described the Agge Seaport project as a gateway to regional and international trade that would be of immense benefit to the state and the country at large.
Governor Diri, who assured the federal government of his administration’s commitment to actualising the project, called for effective collaboration from all critical stakeholders including development partners.
His words:” We are happy that you have spoken profusely about the Agge Deep Seaport. But we will be happier if all of us work together in pursuing this endeavour to its completion and use.
“We need complementation and not competition; collaboration and not confrontation because we believe that it is in collaborating and complementing each other that we can achieve the Agge Deep Seaport project,” he stated l.
The governor added: “The Agge Deep Seaport is not only important to Bayelsa. It will not only open the gateway to Bayelsa, but also open the gateway to the Nigerian economy in several ways.”
He expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for selecting Bayelsa as one of the inaugural states for the marine safety initiative.
The Bayelsa Governor urged the people of the state, particularly boat drivers and their passengers to be more safety conscious by always making use of the life jackets, describing safety as a collective endeavour.
He said: “I call upon all stakeholders-traditional institutions, transport unions, community leaders and security agencies to collaborate with us. Safety is a collective endeavour, and development is a shared pursuit.
“A life jacket is not a hindrance, but a lifesaver. It’s your protection, your safeguard. Wear it, encourage others to do the same, and let us cultivate a culture where safety is valued as a strength, not stigmatized as a weakness.”
In his remarks, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Chief Adegboyega Oyetola, acknowledged the Diri-led prosperity administration’s alignment with the federal government’s vision on marine economy.
Oyetola pledged the federal government’s commitment towards the actualisation of the Agge Deep Seaport project to engender job creation, economic development and attract local and foreign investments to the Niger Delta region and beyond.
He said: Your Excellency, Governor Douye Diri, I wish to commend your unwavering support for this initiative and your administration’s alignment with the broader Marine and Blue Economy vision of the Federal Government. Your commitment to the actualization of the Agge Deep Seaport is both timely and visionary.
“Let me briefly underscore what the Agge Deep Seaport means — not just for Bayelsa, but for Nigeria as a whole. This port will serve as a major maritime gateway in the South-South, facilitating international trade, reducing congestion at existing ports, creating jobs, boosting local and foreign investment, and accelerating economic development in the Niger Delta and beyond.”
In a goodwill message, the Chairman, Bayelsa State Traditional Rulers Council and Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom, King Bubaraye Dakolo, called on the federal government to establish marine safety corps to make the nation’s waterways safer and more secure.
Highpoint of the ceremony which had in attendance, the Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebamiji, the Amayanabo of Twon-Brass, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, and several government officials, including the Commissioner for Marine and Blue Economy, Dr Faith Zibs-Godwin, was the flagg off and distribution of safety materials.
